


something about her eyes

by ajstyling



Series: In Another Life [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, First Meetings, Implied Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25173445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajstyling/pseuds/ajstyling
Summary: A chance encounter brings Zack face-to-face with the girl of his dreams.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Series: In Another Life [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1823665
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	something about her eyes

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic as a gift for my friend [rj](https://twitter.com/sylvthea) as part of a fic-art exchange. She drew me this wonderful [cloti art](https://twitter.com/sylvthea/status/1279497279028686848?s=20) and requested a zerith fic in return!
> 
> Rj tweeted about an AU where Aerith was a lifestyle vlogger and the idea inspired me so much that I've turned it into a full fic, with my own spin on it. Thanks rj for the request and the inspiration! Hope you enjoy!

Zack slid into his desk chair with a sigh of relief. Thursdays were his favorite nights—they were the nights she streamed. On the desk beside him his phone vibrated three times in rapid succession. One quick glance confirmed his suspicion that Cloud was texting him. He scanned the messages quickly

**> C: Change your mind about tonight?  
>C: I think you would like the bar  
>C: Please come. I don’t want to go alone.**

Zack texted back an apology and a flimsy excuse about having work to catch up on. He felt guilty lying to Cloud—especially since his roommate rarely initiated hangouts—but how could he even begin to explain.

_Well, you see Cloud. There’s this lifestyle vlogger. She’s really pretty and clever and her green eyes remind me of some half-remembered dream. She doesn’t know me and probably never will, but I can’t miss her stream._

With an incredulous laugh, Zack dismissed the thought out of hand and instead sent Cloud a short text.

**> Z: Sorry, bud. No can do.**

After a moment he sent one more.

**> Z: Whoever she is, just be yourself. She won’t be able to resist ;)**

Cloud’s response came quicker than anticipated. It was a single emoji of a middle finger raised high and proud. Perhaps against his better judgement, Zack sent one more text.

**> Z: Yes, exactly! Just like that! Your grumpy charm will be irresistible!!**

His phone vibrated a few more times, but the telltale piano notes drew his attention away from his phone and to the computer screen in front of him. The once blank loading screen had been replaced with viridescent eyes, a gentle smile, and her trademark pink bow. 

“Hi, everyone! It’s me, Aerith! Today I’m coming to you from my own apartment!”

The chat feed filled quickly with messages of hello and compliments on her apartment. As usual, Zack ignored the chat and instead watched only her with rapt attention. He could never put his finger on it, but something about Aerith seemed eerily familiar and it put him at ease every time he watched her streams. 

“Today, I wanted to introduce you to someone very important to me,” she said.

An irrational sense of dread and disappointment settled in the pit of Zack’s stomach as he braced for a boyfriend or girlfriend to stroll across the screen any moment. Instead, he watched as a beautiful, agouti siberian husky with ice blue eyes entered the frame and immediately licked at Aerith’s face with glee.

“Everyone say hi to Moogle,” Aerith called out between a barrage of dog kisses. 

_Why am I relieved?_ Zack thought to himself. _I don’t even know her._

Zack buried the confusing thoughts down and settled into watching the stream. She carried on for several minutes talking about how she rescued Moogle from a puppy mill, showing off some of the tricks he had learned, and talking about the importance of fighting against animal cruelty. 

Every word, each display of compassion and joy, brought forth a deep sense of longing in Zack. He would have been fine listening to her talk about anything, but watching her joyously play with her dog was so much better. 

At last, Aerith signalled that it was time for the stream to end. “Thanks for watching! And remember, I’ll post training tips to my YouTube channel, so be sure to follow me there as well for all things Aerith! For now, remember to be good and be good at it!”

With a final wave the stream came to an end.

Zack pulled himself from his chair in a stupor. His phone sat forgotten on his desk as he stumbled to his room and into bed. That night, he dreamt of a girl in a church with viridescent eyes and a pink bow in her hair.

* * *

* * *

With a final burst of speed, Zack rushed past the row of benches and came to a stop in front of a cluster of pink wisterias. The cool, early morning breeze blew gently against his face cooling the sweat and granting him a blissful respite after his jog. As he caught his breath, he worked through a series of meticulous cool-down stretches. Finally, when his post-run ritual was complete, he slid against the nearest tree and took in the sights and sounds of the park.

He loved the park in the morning because apart from an occasional early morning jogger or dog-walker, it sat quiet and empty. The quiet granted him space to think about the half-remembered dreams that filled his sleep for the past two nights, ever since Aerith’s stream where she introduced Moogle. The specifics were hard to grasp, but he remembered a church—a once imposing stone cathedral that was now littered with holes and rubble, the flowers—yellow lilies, and, of course, the girl. He knew without a doubt it was Aerith. 

A series of barks broke him from his reverie. His eyes followed the noise down the path he had jogged down earlier and after a few seconds a blur of fur appeared around a bend in the path and sprinted directly toward him. The dog, a black and white husky with ice blue eyes, lept to a halt a few feet away from Zack. After a moment, it slowly walked forward and unceremoniously sat itself in his lap. 

Zack laughed and scratched at the dog’s ears. “Are you lost?” he asked the dog which offered his hand a gentle lick in response. 

He did his best to push down and ignore all the ways in which this lost pup resembled the dog Aerith had introduced on her stream just two days ago. He was an optimist, but he wasn’t an idiot and the chances of randomly meeting Aerith or her dog in a park seemed about as likely as his dream of her living in a run down church.

Zack sat there for a few more minutes, his eyes scanning the park repeatedly for any sight of someone looking for a lost dog. Just as he was ready to call it quits, he heard a pitter patter of footsteps rapidly approaching. 

“Oh, thank goodness,” she said as she rounded the corner near where Zack and the dog sat.

Everything seemed like a blur, but Zack was pretty sure his jaw hung open as Aerith stood in front of him, slightly winded and holding a leash. 

“I’m sorry about my dog! He’s usually so well behaved, but for some reason as I was switching his leash he just took off,” she said.

Zack nodded silently, his charm and voice nowhere to be found. 

“Seems to really like you though,” she continued on unbothered by his silence. “Do you come here often?” she asked. 

Zack shrugged and finally found words, “Sometimes.”

He groaned internally, all of his teasing of Cloud and he couldn’t even muster up two words to say.

“The strong and silent type, huh?” she teased.

“Sorry,” Zack muttered. He debated admitting that he watched her streams, but figured that might be a little too much. “You just look really familiar,” he said at last.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Aerith responded excitedly. “Something about your eyes,” she added quietly, almost to herself. 

A slightly awkward silence descended as neither knew what to do with their admissions. Moogle took this as an opportunity to nibble gently on one of Zack’s shoes.

“So, Mr. Strong and Silent,” Aerith broke the silence, “Can I thank you for finding my dog?”

“Zack, actually,” he said. 

“Hmmm—I like Mr. Strong and Silent better.”

“Ahh, does that make you Ms. Small and Loud?” Zack teased lightly.

Aerith placed a hand against her heart and gasped in mock outrage. “Please. We both know you should call me pretty and charming.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Don’t you think that’s assuming a bit much?” 

“Nope,” she said.

He laughed again. “Well then, Ms. Pretty and Charming, no need to thank me. Anybody would have done the same. I mean just look at this cutie,” he gave Moogle some gentle pets to drive home his point. 

“But it wasn’t anybody else, it was you,” Aerith argued, “so, let me give you a proper thank you.”

“Please, my honor will be insulted if I take payment from someone so pretty and charming as you.”

Aerith crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Well _my honor_ will be insulted if you _don’t_ let me thank you.” She stamped her foot down to emphasize her point.

Zack stood up from his spot on the ground, receiving a displeased grunt from a displaced Moogle, and matched Aerith’s pose. “Well, I guess one of our honors will have to be insulted.” 

“Guess so,” Aerith said as her eyes locked onto Zack’s. 

They stood unmoving for several seconds, but her eyes—the eyes of his dreams—eventually wore down his resolve. “Fine,” Zack said with an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll let you thank me this one time.”

Aerith clapped her hands in delight. “I knew you couldn’t resist me! I’m too pretty.”

“Don’t forget charming,” Zack said with a smirk. “But you didn’t let me finish: I’ll let you thank me for my brave service in petting your dog for ten minutes—on one condition.”

“I’m listening.”

“You have to tell me your real name,” Zack said.

“What if I want to hear you keep calling me pretty?” Aerith asked with a coquettish smile.

Zack felt his face flush a deep red and he found himself unable to hold her gaze. He couldn’t understand how she had this effect on him? He scratched the back of his neck and searched desperately for a clever response, but his brain refused to cooperate. 

After what felt like a lifetime, she spoke again, “It’s Aerith.”

Relief washed over Zack, who realized he could finally stop pretending that he didn’t know her name. His eyes shot up from the ground and as he locked eyes with her again he was delighted that she wore a grin to match his own. 

“Well, Aerith, how do you plan to say thank you for my brave rescue of your poor dog?” he laughed as he asked.

“Hmmmm, it really is a lot of work and you definitely deserve a big reward.” She placed a finger on her chin and tapped it in an effort to appear thoughtful. “I know,” she said with a clap after a moment, “I think one date should do—and I know just the spot.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, I've got several ideas for more fics set in this same universe, so stay tuned. I respond to all comments! 
> 
> Come scream with me on twitter about ff7, fire emblem, and many other fandoms!  
> Twitter: [@ajstyyling](https://twitter.com/ajstyyling)


End file.
